It’s Week 4 and there’s plenty of college football action throughout the day on Saturday. Big Ten play begins today, bringing a matchup between the Wisconsin Badgers and the No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions. It’s been a strong start to the campaign for both of these teams, but could we see an upset brewing in Happy Valley?
Here’s a preview, prediction and pick for Wisconsin vs. Penn State in Week 4 of the 2026 college football season.
Wisconsin vs. Penn State prediction, preview
Wisconsin dropped its opening game at the hands of No. 3 Notre Dame in a 41-13 blowout, but that kind of outcome was to be expected against an elite opponent. The Badgers followed it with a 36-9 win over Western Illinois of the FCS before downing Eastern Michigan 54-10, but there’s a big difference between that competition and what they’ll face this week. The offense is producing 34.3 points and 389.7 yards per game behind a very concentrated attack. Colton Joseph has 752 passing yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions across his three starts – his weapons are led by Tyrell Henry (22 REC/293 YDS/1 TD) and Chris Brooks (8 REC/168 YDS/2 TD). Abu Samu paces the backfield with 156 rushing yards and one touchdown on 23 carries. Otherwise, the Badgers don’t have another player with even 100 rushing or receiving yards. Defensively, they’re allowing 20.0 points and 289.3 yards per game to opponents, but do keep in mind the strength of competition they’ve faced off against thus far.
Penn State entered a new era with the hiring of Matt Campbell as head coach and has gotten off to an ideal start, to say the least. The Nittany Lions are unbeaten with wins of 45-0 over Marshall, 27-7 against Temple and 55-13 vs. Buffalo. Two-way dominance has quickly become a theme – they’re scoring 42.3 points with 492.0 yards of offense per game, allowing just 7.3 points and 201.0 yards to opponents. Rocco Becht has lived up to expectations under center with a 70.3% completion rate, 751 yards and nine touchdowns without an interception. His top target is Koby Howard, who has 12 grabs for 344 yards and two scores while pacing the Big Ten with a ridiculous 28.7 yards per catch, while Chase Sowell has eight receptions for 126 yards and a score. The backfield includes four rushers with 100+ yards and one or more touchdowns each, headlined by Carson Hansen with 169 yards on 35 attempts. There’s a lot to like about this team on both sides of things.
Wisconsin vs. Penn State pick, best bet
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Penn State enters as a 10-point favorite with -380 odds on the Moneyline; Wisconsin is a +300 underdog to win outright. The game total sits at 43.5 combined points between these teams.
The Badgers have looked pretty solid through three games, but we saw what happened when they faced a top team in the opener. This game may not be that kind of blowout, but the 10-point spread does feel a little bit low given what the Nittany Lions have shown through their first few games. Penn State has dominated opponents on both sides of the ball and playing clean football with few penalties, too. The ground game is averaging 5.1 yards per attempt behind a strong offensive line and Becht looks formidable under center. The defense only has five sacks, but they’ve tallied 15 TFLs with two interceptions and four forced fumbles while limiting opposing offenses to just 3.5 yards a play. Wisconsin may not be a bad team, but Penn State is simply much better.
Best Bet: Penn State -10 (-112)
For easy access to tail CFB picks, click here to join the CFB Committee Betting Group on DraftKings Sportsbook.
